Federal Emergency Management Agency
Firefighter (BLS/HazMat Technician)
Department of Homeland Security · Round Hill, Virginia
- Salary
- $46,610 - $91,815 per year
- Pay grade
- GS-5 to 8
- Schedule
- Full-time
- Appointment
- Permanent
- Opened
- Oct 27, 2026
- Closes
- Nov 5, 2026
- Remote
- No
- Telework eligible
- No
- Security clearance
- Top Secret
- Promotion potential
- 8
- Announcement
- FEMA-EM-13100346-MP
Who may apply: Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL) · Family of overseas employees · Competitive service · Individuals with disabilities · Land and base management · Military spouses · Peace Corps & AmeriCorps Vista · Special authorities
Applications are submitted on USAJOBS.gov, not on Careers.org. Always confirm details in the official announcement.
Summary
This position is located at the Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center (MWEOC), Fire Services Branch. MWEOC is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, approximately 60 miles west of Washington, DC. The ideal candidate will have experience in hazardous firefighting and rescue operations and currently hold the necessary firefighter certifications for the position.
Duties
- All MWEOC staff have emergency assignments and are considered deployed in place. Exercises and activations are planned and unplanned, and may require long hours, nights, weekends and holidays. All MWEOC employees are: (1) required to use a government-issued electronic device (to include cellular phones); (2) subject to recall during emergency situations; and (3) required to perform work in locations both above and below ground. What will I do in this position if hired? In this position, you will you will serve as a Firefighter (Paramedic/Hazardous Materials Technician), responsible for following firefighting standards and techniques, performing procedures and firefighting operations. Typical assignments include: Using, operating and maintaining firefighting trucks and equipment (lines, hand tools, pumps, nozzles, foam generators). Operating emergency equipment to control and extinguish hazardous fire situations in a variety of structures. Performing basic life support assessment and treatment of patients. Providing emergency duties responding to HazMat, technical rescue, aviation and other related incidents. What else do I need to know? At FEMA, our mission is to help people before, during and after disasters, and every employee at FEMA has a role in emergency management. Every FEMA employee has regular and recurring emergency management responsibilities, though not every position requires routine deployment to disaster sites. All positions are subject to recall around the clock for emergency management operations, which may require irregular work hours, work at locations other than the official duty station, and may include duties other than those specified in the employee's official position description. Travel requirements in support of emergency operations may be extensive in nature (weeks to months), with little advance notice, and may require employees to relocate to emergency sites with physically austere and operationally challenging conditions. Promotion Potential: Future promotions will be dependent on your ability to perform the duties at a higher level, the continuing need for an employee assigned to the higher level, and administrative approval.
Qualifications
Current Federal employees must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent grade band in the Federal service. The qualification requirements listed below must be met by the closing date of this announcement. To qualify for this position at the GS-05 level, you must possess one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-04 level in the Federal government, which has equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. Experience may be obtained in the federal government, a state or local government, or private sector, and must demonstrate the following: 1. Responding to rescue and fire emergencies for an emergency response unit AND 2. Operating firefighter and rescue emergency equipment and/or vehicles AND Firefighter I Firefighter II Hazardous Materials Awareness Hazardous Materials Operations Valid State Driver's License To qualify for this position at the GS-06 level, you must possess one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-05 level in the Federal government, which has equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. Experience may be obtained in the federal government, a state or local government, or private sector, and must demonstrate the following: 1. Responding to rescue and fire emergencies for an emergency response unit AND; 2. Operating firefighter and rescue emergency equipment and/or vehicles AND; 3. Working with a team and providing CPR/AED services within established protocols AND Firefighter I Firefighter II Hazardous Materials Awareness Hazardous Materials Operations Valid State Driver's License CPR/AED To qualify for this position at the GS-07 level, you must possess one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-06 level in the Federal government, which has equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. Experience may be obtained in the federal government, a state or local government, or private sector, and must demonstrate the following: 1. Controlling and extinguishing fires for a variety of structures AND; 2. Operating and maintaining firefighter and EMS equipment and vehicles AND; 3. Working with a team and providing EMS services within established protocols. AND Firefighter I Firefighter II Hazardous Materials Awareness Hazardous Materials Operations Valid State Driver's License CPR/AED Driver/Operator Pumper State or National Registry Emergency Medical Technician Basic (EMT-B) To qualify for this position at the GS-08 level, you must possess one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the Federal government, which has equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. Experience may be obtained in the federal government, a state or local government, or private sector, and must demonstrate the following: 1. Controlling and extinguishing fires in difficult and dangerous situations for a variety of response settings AND; 2. Ensuring firefighting, rescue and EMS equipment and vehicles are operational and ready for use. AND Firefighter I Firefighter II Hazardous Materials Awareness Hazardous Materials Operations Valid State Driver's License CPR/AED Driver/Operator Pumper Driver/Operator Aerial State or National Registry Emergency Medical Technician Basic (EMT-B) This is a primary firefighter position under the special retirement provisions of 5 U.S.C. 8336(c) and 8412 (d). Appointees to positions covered under these provisions must not have reached their 37th birthday at the time of initial appointment. Applicants over age 37 with previous firefighter experience under CSRS/FERS, may have their previous firefighter experience credited to determine if age requirement met. Please read the following important information to ensure we have everything we need to consider your application: Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized expe…
Education
No Educational Substitution: There is no educational substitution for this position, and you must meet the qualifications listed in the "requirements" section of this announcement.
Job data from USAJOBS.gov. Careers.org is not affiliated with or endorsed by OPM. Retrieved Nov 4, 2026, 5:46 AM EST.